2019 Texas B.A.S.S. Nation

(vi)verifications tests may be administered on site during the course of a Texas B.A.S.S. Nation HighSchool & Junior Event.No Team Member or Boat Captain may have had a guided trip on Tournament waters with-in 30of the Tournament date. No Boat Captain can have guided on tournament waters with-in 30 daysof the tournament.4. REGISTRATIONEach team must register in person with official Texas B.A.S.S. Nation High School & Junior State Championshipstaff at the time and place designated in the schedule of events. Failure to register in person during theprescribed hours may result in a 1 Lb. penalty to be deducted from your total score. Any competitor, who hasnot contacted the Texas B.A.S.S. Nation High School & Junior State Championship Tournament Staff 15 minutesafter the closing of the posted on---site registration period, may be disqualified from participating in thetournament. It shall be each competitor’s responsibility to check the schedule of events for registration timeand location.5. SAFETY(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by competitors. During the official competition,each competitor must wear a Coast Guard---approved chest---type life preserver any time thecombustion engine is operating, as well as observe and abide by any and all state life preserverregulations that apply to his/her age, while in tournament waters. The preserver must be strapped,snapped or zippered securely, and maintained in that condition at all times. Inflatable life vests mayonly be worn by competitors 16 years of age or older and a weight of more than 80 pounds.Inflatable life vest indicators should be checked daily. Violation of this rule may be reason fordisqualification.When boating in low visibility situations i.e. fog, heavy rain, during competition, competitors mustoperate their boats at a safe speed and in a safe manner as determined by tournament officials.Radar units permanently mounted in the boat, subject to approval by Texas B.A.S.S. Nation, may beapproved for competition. It is suggested the boat captain have a safety check with the anglers eachday prior to launch to familiarize the location of all safety equipment.Tournament officials have the right to delay, shorten or cancel the start of the official tournamentday because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors.Tournament waters may also be restricted at any time because of bad weather.Texas B.A.S.S. Nation reserves the right to impose boat speed limits on any or all tournaments.Whether or not to impose a speed limit, the area covered by the speed limit and/or the actual speedlimit imposed shall be left exclusively to the discretion of the Tournament Director.IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, COMPETITORS SHOULD CALL 911 FIRST AND ONCESAFE THEN NOTIFY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.COMPETITORS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BOAT AND SEEK SAFE SHELTER IN BAD WEATHERWHERE DANGER MAY BE IMMINENT.6. SPORTSMANSHIPCompetitors in Texas B.A.S.S. Nation tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship,courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemedcause for disqualification.P age 5

(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)Use of alcohol, or drugs (other than those purchased over the counter or prescribed by a licensedphysician) by any competitor or boat captain during the official practice or during the tournamentwill not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification from this and all future TexasB.A.S.S. Nation tournaments. No alcoholic beverages, or other non- prescription stimulants ordepressants shall be allowed in the boats during the official competition day, or when in the weigh--in area.Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling inthe vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Any act of a competitor or boatcaptain, which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters,and courtesy shall be reason for disqualification.All competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and regulations of the State of Texas.Competitors are responsible for research of fishing and boating regulations.Chemical---substance addiction or abuse, conviction of a felony or other crimes involving moralturpitude, or other conduct reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship,fair competition and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds for rejecting anyapplication for participation and/or for disqualification after circumstances are reviewed by theTournament Director. Any disqualification, suspension from, or other disciplinary action regardingany tournament or fishing organization, shall be grounds for rejecting any application forparticipation in a Texas B.A.S.S. Nation tournament and/or for disqualification from a Texas B.A.S.S.Nation tournament after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament Director.7. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENTThe use of grippers for landing bass is prohibited during tournament competition. Only artificial lures andbiodegradable artificial lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted during officialpractice and competition, with the exception of pork strips or rinds. Only ONE casting, spin---casting or spinningrod (10-foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. A hung lurethat is not in or on the water is not considered in use and may be set aside while another is in use. Other rigs asspecified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only ONE is permitted in use at any given time. All bassmust be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. If a competitor breaks his line while setting the hookor retrieving a fish, he is allowed to make an attempt with the rod being used or by hand to secure the line andland the fish to be counted as legal. He may NOT hook the line with another lure, rod and reel, or other device.If a competitor loses his rod and reel while landing a bass he MAY use another rod and reel to retrieve the lostoutfit. If that rod and reel is verified to be the lost outfit that bass may be landed and counted as a legal fish.Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging visible fish will have their catch disqualified. When visually fishing a bedor for bedding bass, to be counted as a legal fish, all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verifiedby your partner before being unhooked. With the mouth closed naturally, you must not be able to see wherethe hook point enters the fish to be considered hooked inside the mouth. Competitors are allowed to sharebaits and tackle at all times.8. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONSMaximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition will be 250. Horsepower cannotexceed the limitations set by the U.S. Coast Guard. When required, each boat MUST have a U.S. Coast Guardhorsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard enginemust NOT exceed the rating specified on this plate or the horsepower maximum set by B.A.S.S. Each boatcaptain agrees to submit the boat and outboard motor used in the tournament to an inspection by factory--trained personnel, if there is any reason to suspect the horsepower is in excess of the rating. NormalP age 6

maintenance of engines is allowed. Changing or altering standard factory parts of a competitor’s engine toincrease the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden.9. BOAT AND MOTORFor the safety of all competitors, during official competition, all boats must be equipped with an approved typeoperable ignition kill switch and lanyard. Only one manufactured lanyard may be used and it must be attachedto the boat captain's body any time the combustion engine is operating and in gear. Anytime the combustionengine is operating and in gear, the boat captain must be in the driver’s seat in full control of the boat. Fishingboats that are 16 feet or more in length may be used. Any raised platform or decks cannot be higher than thegunnels of the boat. Standing on the outboard motor or seats while fishing is not allowed. An electric trollingmotor may be used for slow maneuvering; however, trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. All bladdertanks and any other type of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited.Additional gas tanks that are factory options and installed by a manufacturer’s authorized dealer are permitted.Boats that do not have factory---installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline intanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tanks must be properly secured or strapped in a boat. Noportable gas tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline can be placed anywhere on the tournament watersor shoreline for use by any tournament competitor. No “barges” or similar craft will be permitted. No boatequipped with “Stick steering” shall be permitted to be used by any competitor. “Stick steering” shall be asdefined by the Tournament Director. Jet drive engines are not allowed during competition.10. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENTDuring official competition, every boat must have all required Coast Guard safety equipment and a functionalbilge pump. During official competition, every boat must have live---well space, properly aerated, to adequatelymaintain alive, a limit catch of bass. Texas B.A.S.S. Nation recommends live--- wells are maintained at full leveland aerators/re---circulators on manual. Tournament officials shall have the sole responsibility for determiningwhether aeration and capacity is proper and adequate.11. BOAT IDENTIFICATIONPrior to each day’s start, each boat may be given an inspection check by a tournament official. Each day, eachboat may be given a number, which must remain with the boat. This number must be displayed upon therequest of tournament officials, and at each check---in.12. BOAT OPERATIONControl of the boat any time the combustion engine is in use is limited to the boat captain. Control of the boatby the competitors is limited to the use of the trolling motor. It is suggested that competitors come toagreement concerning control of the trolling motor prior to the start of the tournament.13. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONSTournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director. Any water within these boundaries posted“Off---Limits” or “No Fishing” by state or federal agencies as well as the live---Texas B.A.S.S. Nation release areaestablished by the Tournament Director will be off limits and will be announced at the Tournament Briefing.Only that water open to all public fishing will be considered tournament waters. All angling must be done fromthe boat. Competitors wishing to change fish habitat by placing any object in the tournament waters may do soP age 7

if such action does not violate state or federal regulations. Prior to the tournament registration, anyquestionable areas must be brought to the attention of tournament officials to be considered tournamentwaters and may be announced in the briefing for all to hear unless determined otherwise by tournamentofficials. Tournament officials reserve the right to restrict or enhance tournament waters based onconversations with local authorities.14. COMPETITORS MUST REMAIN IN BOATDuring the competition day, competitors must not depart the boat to land fish or to make the boat moreaccessible to fishing waters. Boats must remain in tournament waters during tournament day. Competitorsmust leave from and return to official checkpoints by boat. Both competitors must remain in boat at all timesexcept in case of dire emergency or with permission from the Tournament Director. Exceptions spelled out inrules 5 and 14. In such an emergency, or with permission from the Tournament Director, competitors may beremoved from their boat to either a boat operated by other competitors or a rescue boat designated by theTournament Director. Partners must remain together at all times, in sight of each other and each other’s catchunder the conditions cited above, in order for their catch of that day to be scored in the tournament. In theevent of a needed restroom break a refueling situation at a marina gas pump, contestants are allowed to leavethe boat, at which time all fishing must cease until partners are back together in the boat. If a competitorviolates any of the above conditions, (to contact a tournament official by phone or other means or to report anemergency or breakdown), both competitors must cease fishing at this point, and their catch must be verifiedby a tournament official in order to be counted in the tournament. If, after the emergency situation is resolvedby tournament officials, and enough time is left for the competitors to resume fishing, a restart will be allowed,the competitors will continue and their catch will be counted. This applies only to dire emergency situations asdetermined by the Tournament Director or his/her designee. Towing boats on trailers during tournament hoursis prohibited, except by the direction of tournament officials. Competitors are allowed to leave the boat toretrieve a lure. All fishing by that competitor must cease until back in the boat before making another cast.15. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINTSThere shall be only one official check point for check---out in the morning, and one official check---in point in theafternoon, which points shall be designated at the tournament briefing. Failure to go through boat check andcheck---out in the morning or failure to check---in at the check---in point in the afternoon may result indisqualification. At the time of check---out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformity with allrules set forth by the Tournament Director. At check---in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of thenumbers described in Rule 11 and proceed immediately to the designated weigh---in area. Partners must staytogether, through the weigh---in process.16. SCORINGTournament standings, contingency awards and final winners shall be determined by the pound and ounceweight of each team’s catch during the tournament. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, or Spotted Bass will beweighed. The limit shall be 5 of the above species and varieties per day, unless otherwise specified bytournament officials. (Example – hot weather/fish care concerns) At no time shall a team have in its possessionmore than the tournament limit. If a team determines they have over the limit they must immediately reducetheir catch to the tournament limit with a live bass of their choice from their catch. Each returned bass willresult in a 2 pound penalty to be deducted from their daily score. In this case, teams must attempt to notifytournament officials and if unsuccessful must notify officials at check in. Once a team checks in they mustpresent all legal bass to tournament officials at the verification table. If teams at the verification table haveP age 8

more than the tournament limit, the team will reduce with live bass to the tournament limit and each returnedbass will result in a 1 pound penalty to be deducted from their daily score. The official length for bass shall be aminimum of 14". Only bass as described above which measure the official length or more on the longest straightline, shall be weighed. Bass presented for weigh---in, which fail to measure the official length, shall result in apenalty of 1 pound for each such bass, which penalty shall be deducted from the total score of the team. Anybass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and creditedonly at the discretion of tournament officials. After teams check in at the official checkpoint they MUST presentall LEGAL fish in their possession to a tournament official to be counted, measured and weighed. Once a team'scatch is measured, counted and verified by a tournament official, that team may not return to the boat untiltheir catch has been weighed and recorded. Bass must not be attached to a stringer at any time during thetournament. Culling tags or clips are allowed.17. CATCH AND RELEASE: CULLING OF DEAD BASS IS PROHIBITEDFor each legal dead bass presented to weigh---in officials, the team shall be penalized 1 pound. The TournamentDirector or his designees shall have sole authority for accessing penalties. In addition, the Tournament Director,or his/her designees, may reduce tournament hours or tournament limits for fish care purposes. Upon mutualconsent between both competitors paired together, for fish care concerns, the verification table will open onehour prior to check---in time of the first flight.18. LATE PENALTYTeams who are not at the official check---in point, as described in Rule 15, at the appointed time, shall bepenalized at the rate of 1 pound per minute late to be deducted from the total weight of the team's catch,including any weight to be counted toward a “big bass award”. Any team more than 15 minutes late shall loseall credit for that day’s catch. There shall be no excuse for tardiness and in no case shall a team be allowed tomake up “lost time.” After proper recognition at the check---in point, teams will be allowed ample time toproceed to the weigh---in site; however, all fishing must cease upon check---in. Exact starting and check---intimes will be announced at the tournament briefing.19. TIESAt the Texas B.A.S.S. Nation High School & Junior State Championship tournament, in case of a tie, the winningteam will be decided by the following three tie breakers. The heaviest single fish caught during competition (2)if the tie is not broken, the next tiebreaker will be the second heaviest single fish caught during competition. (3)if the tie is not broken, the next tiebreaker will be the third heaviest single fish caught during competition. If thetie is not broken by applying the foregoing procedures, the tie will remain a tie, and prizes will be awarded in anequal amount between the tied teams. In the instance where merchandise is involved, prizes will be awarded asdetermined by tournament officials.20. PAIRING OF COMPETITORSTwo competitors from the same High School or Junior club will be assigned to each boat. It will be theresponsibility of each partner to appear at a mutually agreed upon location with sufficient time remaining tocheck---out at the official checkpoint and start on time. Tournament officials shall have no responsibility forfinding missing partners. It is suggested that a minimum of 30 minutes is required for preparation to depart tothe check---out point. When two competitors check out at the beginning of the day, they must stay togetherand within sight of each other and each other’s catch throughout the day until the Weigh---in; except in case ofP age 9

dire emergency (see also Rule 14 and 15). A team must not allow any bass caught by them to be counted on thescore of another team. In such a case, both competitors shall be disqualified from this tournament and from allfuture tournaments conducted by Texas B.A.S.S. Nation21. RULES VIOLATIONSProtests may be submitted to the tournament director and must be in writing. Once considered by thetournament director, all decisions and sanctions are final.22. PATCHES AND/OR SIGNAGEAnglers are encouraged to wear their own clothing which may bear patches, logos and other signage promotingthe angler’s sponsors. Texas B.A.S.S. Nation may, however, restrict the use of patches, logos, signage, etc. thatpromote or advertise products which are, in Texas B.A.S.S. Nation’ sole judgment, in poor taste. Texas B.A.S.S.Nation will provide as much advance notice as possible to the competitors in such instances.23. TAXESSome state or federal laws require income taxes be paid on awards, such as scholarships. Anglers/Observers areresponsible for all applicable taxes on all awards. Various States require tax on merchandise be paid upon theawarding of certificates and teams or individuals awarded merchandise certificates in these States areresponsible for remitting their tax to Texas B.A.S.S. Nation. Failure to meet that obligation may result in fines ordisqualification from all future Texas B.A.S.S. Nation events.24. WAIVER AND RELEASEAs a condition of participation in each tournament, each competi

Lake Sam Rayburn Saturday & Sunday June 22 & 23, 2019 Top 2 Finishing High School Boats and Top 2 Finishing Junior Boats will advance to B.A.S.S. High School & Junior National Championship Off Limits June 17 – June 19, 2019 No anglers or boat captains permitted on the lake. Official Practice Days Thursday & Friday June 29 – 21, 2019